


Two's Company

by sasstronautmarkwatney (msindyjones)



Category: The Martian (2015), The Martian - All Media Types, The Martian - Andy Weir
Genre: Canon Divergent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 06:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5323949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msindyjones/pseuds/sasstronautmarkwatney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lewis is unable to make it to the MAV before it tips in the sandstorm on Sol 6, stranding her on the Red Planet alone. Or so she believes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sol 6

**Author's Note:**

> Just one of the many, many fanfic ideas floating around in my head. Thought of this one a while ago and needed to write it out. It helps that Andy Weir himself provided the outline for this story. I'm just fleshing it out.

Sol 6

“That’s an order, Martinez!” Lewis’ voice came strained over the radio. The crew of Ares 3 strapped into their acceleration couches, ready for launch. Everyone save for the Commander and Watney. The sandstorm threatened to tip the MAV. The mission long aborted by NASA. With Mark dead, the crew waited for Lewis to return to the Mars Ascent Vehicle so they could return to  _Hermes._  But the storm picked up unexpectedly. The computers beeped angrily, indicating that the MAV was tipping past the safe point. Despite using the OMS in an attempt to stabilize the craft, it was going to tip if a launch didn’t happen immediately.

The only problem was that Lewis was still on the surface. In her prolonged attempt to locate Watney, she wasn’t able to make it to the ship.

“I’m not leaving you behind, Commander.” The pilot’s voice came over the channel.

“MAV tipping to 12.2.” Johanssen announced as she monitored the system. The MAV made unsettling creaking sounds as it tilted.

“You launch right this instant, Martinez. I’m not risking all your lives. Get out of here!” Lewis panted as she started away from the MAV. If she wasn’t going to make it to the ship she certainly wasn’t going to be anywhere near it when the engines ignited.

Despite everything his heart was telling him otherwise; Martinez swallowed his emotion and started the ignition sequence. Just in time. The computer registered the MAV at 12.4 as the boosters sent the ship upwards. Rick had to take control and correct the flight path. After some maneuvering they were back on course for an intercept with  _Hermes._

“We’ll figure this out, Commander. We’ll save you somehow.” Martinez said before the radio contact cut out due to the distance.

Lewis turned her back to the launch. The engines roared but it sounded muted through the thin atmosphere. Spinning around, Lewis was greeted with the sight of a plume of smoke. Looking upwards, she saw nothing but a diminishing red dot of fire as the MAV left the atmosphere.

Getting her thoughts together, Lewis headed for the airlock. After it cycled, she stumbled inside and yanked off her helmet. “Shit.” She muttered to herself as she placed the helmet on the rack. The Commander leaned against a work bench, her thick gloved hand pinching her nose.

The sandstorm outside raged on. It caused the lights in the Hab to flicker. Not letting her training get away from her, Lewis grabbed her helmet once more. Replacing it over her head, the pressure returning to her flight suit. Until the storm passed she had to maintain proper protocol. The Hab could still breach and she had to be ready for another emergency. She believed Martinez. She just wasn’t sure how they were going to save her.

The Commander moved to take the seat that Johannsen had been sitting in earlier. The computer still showed the storm via satellite. Looking around, everything in the Hab had been abandoned. Personal objects they had brought with them, scientific equipment and basic results of experiments. It wasn’t much work but six sols worth was better than nothing. Even though NASA wouldn’t get that information now. Melissa shook her head. They could still get it. She was going to get off this planet. She had been in other precarious situations in her life. Given, none of them included being stranded on an entire planet but that didn’t discourage her. As an astronaut and sailor she had an advantage to dealing with dire situations.

As Lewis watched the computer screen her heart sank. The sandstorm would pass within the next few hours. A storm that changed everything. Her crew was headed back to  _Hermes,_  she was alone on Mars and most important, Mark Watney had been killed. She pulled her lips in. The loss of the botanist and mechanical engineer finally hitting her. She felt as if she had failed him. Her crew was her responsibility. She vowed to bring them all home. She got four of her crew off Mars safely, but losing just one was devastating to her. Especially Mark. Everyone had a soft spot for the man. He always knew what to say and when to say it. His ability to make good of any situation was amazing. Mark could pick the good out of anything.

She wondered what he would tell her now.  _‘Don’t worry, Commander, could be worse. This could be the mall during the holiday shopping season.’_  Lewis wished she didn’t have her helmet on, that way she could wipe the few tears from her cheeks that fell for her fallen crew member.

Hours passed, the storm abated. Lewis had removed her flight suit an hour ago when she was sure that the integrity of the Hab was intact. The Commander had fallen asleep at the desk, her head resting on her crossed arms. She startled herself awake, blinking in the artificial light. Everything was quiet again. The sandstorm ended. The weather report on the computer indicated the situation outside had returned to normal.

There was a lot she needed to do. Somehow get communication with  _Hermes._  With Martinez now in charge of the ship she knew that he wouldn’t leave orbit. Lewis needed to make a plan for survival, unsure how long she was going to be on the Red Planet. But the most important task at the moment: find Mark’s body. She suited up into her EVA garb.

Out on the surface it barely seemed like a sandstorm had dropped by. Save for the solar panels covered in sand and the rovers half buried. Lewis looked around the landing site, her gaze resting on the empty landing stage of for MAV. The Commander bent her back to look upwards towards the sky. She hoped they had a successful launch. Melissa brought her attention back to the task at hand. She looked west, the original direction that Johanssen said Watney had disappeared. Her eyes scanned the horizon. There was no sign of Watney on the first pass.

Without the storm, walking through the sandy terrain was significantly easier. Lewis watched the ground in front of her, not wanting to somehow miss Mark. She crested a small sand dune, panting as she reached the top. She had been searching for thirty-five minutes. Turning her body to scan the area, her eye caught a glint in the sand. Upon closer examination it was the face shield to Watney’s helmet. Her heart sank. She hadn’t prepared herself for actually finding him. It took her a few moments to navigate safely down the slope. Mark was buried in dirt and sand, lying face down. She could feel hot tears brim her eyes once more.

She wasn’t sure what to do with his body. Lewis wasn’t going to leave him there but she didn’t want to bring him into the Hab. Mark would decompose in the pressurized area. She decided to give him at least a proper grave. Even if it was on Mars. She bent down and could hear his suit's alarms going off. Lewis went to shut off the alerts. She reached for his arm buried in the sand. As she moved his arm, Mark’s other hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Lewis yelped and stumbled backwards landing on her ass.

Mark took in a deep pained breath.

“Holy shit!” Lewis exclaimed, her heart racing. “Mark!” The Commander attempted to right herself, getting off her backside and to her knees. She was dumbfounded, her mind moving slow as she attempted to process the fact that Watney was alive. The botanist groaned as he moved. “Careful, Mark.” She watched him, her hands in front of her ready to help. Lewis soon realized they had no radio contact between them. Watney couldn’t hear her and she couldn’t hear him.

Looking to her arm readout, her personal radio was online and broadcasting. Leaving her to believe that Mark’s was taken out during his tumble.

Panting, Mark shifted as he attempted to get up. He tapped the computer on his arm, silencing the alarms. Looking up, he saw Lewis. “Commander?” Mark asked weakly, his voice staying inside his suit. He grimaced, his hand going to his abdomen. As he extracted himself from the sand the problem became clear. A thin piece of antenna protruded from his side.

“Don’t move, don’t move.” Lewis said quickly to herself, looking at the wound. Mark’s hand held the piece of metal in place. She wished that she could talk to him.

 Mark panted as he looked at the entry site.

The Commander surveyed the injury. She ignored her desire to figure out how he was alive. That could be dealt with later. Right now she needed to make sure he stayed that way. Reaching up slowly with his free hand, Mark grabbed the breach kit from the side of his helmet. Lewis took it from him. His other hand still stabilizing the piece of thin metal. Without speaking, Lewis carefully unfurled Mark’s fingers from the antenna. She wished she could see his face or he could see hers. That way she could give him some visual reassurance. She carefully gripped the piece of metal.

She raised her head to look at Mark. Waiting until his helmet lifted. She couldn’t see his face but the prolonged contact let her know that he understood what she was doing. In that moment she was glad that there was no radio contact between them. In a split second she yanked the antenna fragment from Mark’s side. In that same moment she had the wide end of the breach kit over the hole. Lewis opened the valve and the adhesive bonded with the suit. Creating an air tight seal against the atmosphere of pressure.

Watney panted heavily, dizzied by the pain and the drop in pressure. Once Lewis removed the patch kit, Mark’s hand went over the wounded area. They needed to get back to the Hab. The injury could have been worse under his EVA suit. Lewis got to her feet. With quite a bit of effort she helped Watney up. Their bulky suits made it difficult for her to hold on to him. The trek up the hill was excruciatingly slow. Watney stumbled several times, he cursed to himself every time. When they finally reached the flat land around the Hab the going became easier.

As they crested the hill, Mark got a look around their landing site. Everything looked in order. That was until he realized that the MAV was missing from the scene.

They finally reached the Hab and they stumbled through the airlock door together. The cycle seemed to take ages. Soon the pressure equalized with the Hab and they were able to complete their ingress. Lewis wasn’t aware of how much of Mark’s weight she had been supporting. When she let go of him he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. She turned and grimaced inwardly. Lewis reached up and removed her helmet and doffed her suit in record time. She knelt on the ground and helped Watney as he messed with his own helmet. She pulled it from his head and set it on the ground.

“Ouch.” Mark said immediately. Lewis looked him over, he looked awful. The Commander had no idea what to say. Her mind had a few dozen questions formulating but she didn’t know where to start.

“Let’s get you out of that suit.” She decided and helped him back to his feet. The two worked slowly to remove Watney’s EVA suit. Once the outer suit was removed the sheer amount of blood from the injury became obvious. The blue of his under suit stained and wet. A lot of the blood clotted and thick after evaporating in the thin Martian atmosphere.

“Yikes.” Watney said as they got their first look at the injury.

“Come over here.” Lewis said as she grabbed his elbow and guided him to a chair. Once seated, Melissa disappeared to gather medical supplies. She returned to see Mark’s eyes closed. “Stay awake, Watney.” She said as she pulled up a seat. Lewis handed him a pair of sheers, Mark took them without question. He began to cut his shirt. Even more blood spilled from the wound as the skin tight shirt released the pressure it was providing. A wad of gauze appeared and Lewis pressed it against his side. Mark groaned and clenched his jaw. “Sorry,” She muttered without looking up at him.

Moving the gauze away she inspected the site of impalement. Between being in the Navy and her training with NASA she had dealt with more than enough wounds like this. Part of the training through NASA included doing a week of rounds at the local hospital. Treating ER patients as they came in. This injury was nothing compared to some of the bloody messes that came through the hospital. Nor compared to the wounds that some of her fellow sailors had gotten.

“It’s going to need stitching.” Mark said as he looked at the wound. She looked up, surprised at how his demeanor had remained calm. They had trained for months for emergencies. Keeping calm was vital in making sure a situation didn’t end up worse. What Mark went through wasn’t something they had trained for. She had expected him to be shaken but his disposition seemed even. 

Lewis cleaned the wound, removing the gunky blood. When she completed Mark grabbed the anesthetic and injected it around the wound. They waited a few minutes for the medication to kick in. Despite the period of waiting it still hurt like a bitch as Lewis irrigated and stitched up the wound. Mark gripped the arms of the chair until his knuckles turned white. The Commander finished the job with a stark white bandage over the injury. She leaned back in her seat and they sat in silence.

“So the MAV is gone.” Mark broke the silence between them. “But you are still here.” He sighed, his eyelids dropping.

“Yeah.” Lewis replied.

“I’m going to take a wild guess that you didn’t make it to the MAV before it tipped because you were looking for me?” He asked.

“Yep.” Lewis responded.

“And now we’re both stuck on Mars.”

“Correct.”

“Well, fuck.” 

 


	2. November 13, 2035, Sol 7, Mission Day: 132

November 13, 2035

Teddy Sanders stood outside the home of Mr. and Mrs. Watney. NASA had received the worst news since the Columbia disaster. Two astronauts left on Mars, one of whom died. The other stranded until some sort of rescue plan could be devised. A task left up to the engineers and scientists of NASA. The Administrator’s current job was to inform Mark Watney’s parents of his passing. Something that needed done before the story broke on the news. Teddy pulled the lapels of his jacket closer to his neck. The cold wind bit at his skin as he waited for an answer.

On the flight he had thought of a million different ways to convey the news. None of them seemed to do justice for the loss he was about to relay. There had been the choice to send out the contact that Mark had chosen for this task. Every astronaut picked someone to be the barer of bad news. But this was different. This situation was going to be the biggest news story for the coming weeks.

Just as Teddy was going to knock again, the door opened. An older woman answered, Mark’s mother. Teddy couldn’t even manage a friendly smile. “Hello,” He started. “I’m Teddy Sanders, the Director of NASA. Do you have some time to spare, Mrs. Watney?” He asked. Mrs. Watney’s features fell. She immediately had a bad feeling about this visit. She invited Sanders in and called down to the basement for her husband. They all settled in the living room; the tension in the air was palpable. Teddy did his best to form the right way to say the words on mind.

“Did something happen to Mark?” Mr. Watney finally asked, the silence driving him insane.

Teddy sighed, he started at the beginning. “There was a sandstorm on Mars. One with more force than the mission parameters allowed for. The crew was ordered to evacuate. This meant that everyone had to go out into the storm. The wind was threatening to cause their ship home to tip, so everyone was on a tight schedule to get there.” Teddy sighed. “During the traverse to the MAV the communications array broke free in the torrent. The debris from that hit Mark.” The more he went on, the more tears appeared in Mrs. Watney’s eyes. “He was carried off. When he was hit his decompression alarm went off and his bio-signs went flat. The crew attempted to search for him but with the ship reaching its tipping point a choice had to be made.” This was more difficult than he had been expecting.

The Watney’s were holding each other’s hands as they listened to the Director. “Commander Lewis stayed behind to search longer.” Teddy continued on. “The rest of the crew was forced to launch under Lewis’ order. She had to save what she could of her crew. After the crew was back on  _Hermes,_  they contacted NASA. The ship’s flight surgeon, Dr. Chris Beck, declared that Mark had been killed in the storm.” Mark’s mother let out a loud sob.  “Based on the fact that his pulse and blood pressure were zero. Also due to the fact that his decompression alarm sounded. A situation that would be fatal all its own.” Teddy pressed on, letting the couple know how and why that choice was made.

Sanders went quiet. The only sound was that of Mrs. Watney crying into her husband’s shoulder.

 

Sol 7

Lewis had gotten up extra early that morning. She hadn’t slept the previous night. Her brain was attempting to figure out how to survive this mess. She let Mark sleep in, there was no real reason to wake him. And he needed his rest. It didn’t take him long to pass out last night. Lewis figured the pain medication was a helpful sleep aid. She found herself standing in the kitchen area. There was enough food to last three hundred days, four hundred with rationing. Between the two of them the supply would last two hundred days. That gave them two hundred days to be rescued. Sooner would be preferred. With  _Hermes_  still in orbit it allowed for a greater chance of rescue. The only question was how would they get to the space ship?

The answer wasn’t a difficult one to come to. The Ares 4 MAV at Schiaparelli. The only problem was that it lacked the fuel to launch and was also about 3,200 kilometers away. Lewis knew that there would be hundreds of people working on solving this problem. The only thing she had to worry about was staying alive until a rescue could be executed. Also, figuring out how to tell  _Hermes_  that Mark is still alive.

Mark blinked awake. There was a moment of confusion as the pain in his abdomen flooded his senses. From there it didn’t take long to remember being stranded on Mars with the Commander. Taking caution, he sat up. He had fallen asleep in Martinez’s cot. Not wanting to climb the ladder to his, despite it being just one space above the pilot’s. With his hand pressed over his side, Mark placed his feet on the ground. Wincing slightly as the stitches pulled against the injury. Watney pulled his shirt up to look at the bandage. The center had a patch of dried blood no larger than an inch. The suturing held throughout the night. But he would still need to change the bandage to prevent infection.

Finally standing from the cot, Mark realized that Lewis wasn’t in the personal quarters. That didn’t surprise him. Especially when he realized how late of an hour it was. It was after ten in the morning. On a normal mission day, the crew roused and started work before eight. This however, was the farthest from a normal mission day. Mark didn’t bother changing his clothes. He had passed out in sweats and they would do for the day. Unless he had to do an EVA. After a few minutes he left the crew’s quarters and made his way through the Hab. He found Lewis in the kitchen.

“Morning.” Mark said as he entered the space. He leaned against the doorway. Lewis looked over.

“How are you feeling?” The Commander asked.

Watney shrugged. “Like shit.” He answered truthfully. “But in the grand scheme of things, not that bad.” He said as he took a seat on one of the stools. Hiding a wince as he had lift himself into the seat. “How about you?”

“I’m fine.” Lewis answered. She nodded absently, her mind elsewhere.

Mark eyed her. He hadn’t meant her physical state but he didn’t want to press her. “Did you sleep at all?”

“Not really.” She said as she took the open spot across from Mark. “Spent most of the night thinking about our situation.”

Mark nodded. “Yeah, it is an interesting one. Heard anything from  _Hermes_?” He asked.

Lewis shook her head. “No, the communications network is completely offline.” Watney stared at the bank of computers. “Even if we could receive a message somehow, the dish is gone. We couldn’t talk back.”

“Have you tried an EVA suit?” Mark questioned, his eyes shifting to the six available surface EVA suits in the Hab. “They can still receive a signal.” He offered, his gaze coming back to Lewis. The Commander watched Watney for a moment. “I’m almost certain that the rest of the crew is aware of the same problems we face. Lack of communication being the first one. They have the advantage of having Johanssen at their disposal. You and I both know that she probably has been awake all night trying to make contact with us.” Mark paused. “Or, well, at least with you.” He corrected. As the crew was still unaware that Mark was alive.

Lewis stood from her spot and dragged an EVA suit over to the table, placing it on the surface. She took out the headpiece and slipped it in her ear. There was a constant static. “There is some interference.” Lewis said as she listened.

“Or it is  _Hermes._  What could be interfering with the channel?” Mark asked as he poked at the suit in front of him.

After a moment, Lewis’ eyes went wide. “Oh my god!” She exclaimed. “It’s Martinez, I can hear Martinez.”

“What is he saying?” Mark asked standing up quickly. He regretted the motion but he ignored the pain.

Lewis listened. “Johanssen changed the frequency of  _Hermes_  to broadcast on the EVA and rover channels.”

Mark smiled. “I knew that nerd would be able to figure it out.”

“It is taking a lot of power but the can talk to us as needed.” She listened longer. “NASA knows that I am still down here so a rescue plan is underway. They want me to use Morse code to talk back. NASA will use satellites to image the surface and relay the message back to  _Hermes.”_

“Sounds like a good plan. At least we will be able to talk to people. Let’s go get started on the first message.”

“You mean I’ll go do the first message.” Lewis corrected. “You need to take it easy, Mark.”

Watney gave the Commander a flat expression. “Commander. It is a small hole in my side. And besides, if I had been stranded alone I would have had to do all the work to survive by myself. Going and moving rocks around isn’t that big of deal. Also, there is a lot more we need to do. The solar cells need cleaned off. We should see if we can at least maybe find the communications dish. As well as check the integrity of the Hab and other equipment." He said, even though Mark figured that Lewis had come to these same conclusions as him. "So, even if I’m not the one to spell out a message with rocks, there is plenty to still be done.” Mark could tell that the Commander was hesitant in allowing him to do any strenuous labor.

“Fine, but don’t push yourself to hard.” She folded. He was right, they had a long list of work to complete. And knowing Mark, he wouldn’t want to just sit around while she did it all. “I’ll take care of the message, you start going over the systems and check out the Hab. Then we will take care of the solar cells together once I finish up.” Mark nodded. It was a fair trade off. They both went to prepare to have an EVA.

 

Mission Day: 132

NASA had taken several pictures of the Ares 3 site. They received the message they were expecting. Lewis informed them of status and was injury free. However, it was the last part of the Morse code that caught everyone off guard. The Ares 3 crew stared at the message.

\-- .- .-. -.- / .. ... / .- .-.. .. ...- . .-.-.-

Mark is alive.

Not much was said. Everyone realized what this meant. The time to execute the rescue operation was cut in half. Rations on Mars would only last two hundred days. The crew also started rationing their own food supply. They wouldn’t have access to more food until they reached Earth. They had to make sure their food lasted as long as possible. At most an extra two hundred days.

“Well shit.” Martinez finally said. Everyone looked to the pilot. With Lewis absent from the ship, Martinez was now in charge. It didn’t take long for everyone to understand how big of a deal Mark being alive was. If Lewis had made it to the MAV, Watney would have been left behind. Alive. Alone. Stranded on Mars. Everyone was quiet. The message went on, a quick summary of how he lived. But the Morse code prevented detail and they had more questions.

They put them aside, everyone had a lot of work to get done. They needed to save both of their crew members. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long update wait between these chapters. Real life and working on my other stories got in the way. Hope you enjoyed! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Personally, this is going to be one of my favorite stories. Hope you enjoyed! Comments and reviews are my favorite things ever.


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